Mallorcan seasonal recipes with local varieties
The Mallorcan recipes traditional ones are born from the countryside.
A Local Varieties We are clear about this, which is why we have prepared a seasonal recipe book with varieties from Mallorca, where each dish is adjusted to the planting time of the main ingredient.
If you're looking for a recipe, you'll find it here. And if you want to take it a step further, We also explain when to sow each variety so you can grow it..
The Mallorcan cuisine seasonal is not limited to following a recipe. It keeps a way of doing things alive: the flavors of the land, the techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation and the varieties that are part of the gastronomic and cultural heritage.
The importance of cooking with seasonal ingredients
Seasonal cooking is not just a trend, but a way of understanding gastronomy in harmony with nature. In Mallorca, this tradition has been kept alive for generations, allowing the ingredients to be used at their optimum moment of flavor and nutrients.
Distinctive flavor: The ingredients harvested at their optimum point of ripeness offer a unique flavor rooted in the earth.
More nutritional value: Seasonal crops contain more nutrients when harvested at their ideal time.
Sustainability: We reduce the ecological footprint by avoiding forced cultivation and long-distance transport.
Support for the local economy: Consuming local, seasonal varieties helps keep the island's traditional agriculture alive.
Heritage preservation: Local varieties are part of Mallorca's cultural and gastronomic heritage.
Seasonal recipe calendar
At Varietats Locals we work to recover and promote local seeds from Mallorca. That's why we have created traditional recipes with a local variety for each season of the year.
Below, we present our seasonal cooking calendar.
Dry drunken cabbage soups
Dry soups are a traditional dish that uses stale bread with seasonal vegetables.
The drunken cabbage It is a local variety of cabbage that withstands the heat of the Mallorcan summer well.
Main ingredients
- Drunken cabbage.
- Lean meat.
- "Ramellet" tomato.
Carrots or purple carrot frit
The purple carrot It is a local variety with an intense purple color and a characteristic sweet flavor.
September is when the seed is sown, and it is consumed from December to March approximately.
Main ingredients
- Purple carrot.
- Aromatic herbs.
Winter "trempó"
This dish is a winter version of the classic Mallorcan tempró, made with roasted vine tomatoes, herring, and spring onions.
Main ingredients
- "Ramellet" tomato..
- Herring.
- Spring onions.
Stalled black bean
A dish made with dried black beans and an assortment of seasonal vegetables such as pumpkin, potato, carrot and spinach.
Main ingredients
- Dried black beans.
- Large onion.
- "Ramellet" tomato.
Whole wheat cheixa cake with black artichokes, jonquet and candied onion
Recipe by Miquel Gelabert – Can March
Main ingredients
- Whole wheat flour
- Black artichoke
- Mallorcan white onion
Majorcan ciurons with cod
A traditional dish of Mallorcan cuisine that combines Mallorcan chickadees, desalted cod, fresh spinach and a sauté of onion, tomato and garlic, flavored with Cortí pepper.
Main ingredients
- Dried Mallorcan chickpeas.
- Salted cod.
- Spinach.
Flam of Indian wheat with raisins and palo liqueur
This custard combines the mild sweetness of wheat from the Indies with the intense taste of palo liqueur, in an original proposal well rooted in Mallorcan cuisine.
Main ingredients
- Wheat flour from the Indies.
- Sugar
- Stick liqueur.
Pumpkin jam pancakes
The pumpkin It is a local variety of pumpkin that is planted in late summer.
Blanquets are traditional sweets that take advantage of their natural sweetness.
Main ingredients
- Pumpkin squash.
- Sugar.
- Cinnamon and lemon.
Sweet cherry coke bord des marge
Recipe by Xavier Font – L'Exquisit.
Main ingredients
- Cherries.
Cold hedgehog melon cream
This cold cream is a refreshing and surprising proposition, made with hedgehog melon, cooking cream and herba-sana.
Main ingredients
- Hedgehog melon.
- Cream for cooking.
- Salt.
Mallorcan white onion cake with fig jam
This cake combines the sweetness of white onion Mallorcan and fig jam with a crispy base of homemade dough.
Main ingredients
- Mallorcan white onions.
- Fig jam.
- Goat cheese or sobrasada.
Pickled ramellet tomato with white onion and lampuga fish
Sheisha collection coke with red onion and Figs de la Senyora
Lentils with donkey ear lettuce
The lentils combined with the’ear lettuce of donkey create a balanced dish that takes advantage of the latest seasonal products.
Main ingredients
- Lentils.
- Donkey ear lettuce.
Cooking fava beans
A hearty and nutritious vegetable stew made with broad beans and a wide variety of fresh vegetables such as pumpkin, leeks, zucchini, carrots, spinach, chard and cabbage.
Main ingredients
- Dried broad beans.
- Leeks.
- Pumpkin.
Roasted blue pepper coquettes
This recipe uses canned blue peppers roasted, a local variety that is harvested at the end of summer and can be used throughout the year.
Main ingredients
- Blue peppers.
- Garlic.
- Virgin olive oil.
Sautéed chickpeas with roasted pepper, botifarró and picornells
Rye bread toast with white eggplant and lampuga fish
Connection between cultivation and cooking
Although the recipes are organized by the best time to cook them, each one is born from the growing cycle of a local variety that has its own planting calendar. So, while you cook in season, you can also start thinking about what to plant now to harvest and cook later.
Here we explain when each main ingredient is sown.
Maize
You can do the direct sowing from April and May, to harvest when the plant begins to dry.
Encarabassado pumpkin
You can start at sow in mid-May, until the end of June. The harvest takes place from September.
Mallorcan white onion
You can start at sow from October i it is transplanted three or four weeks later.
Mallorcan chickpea
It's possible direct sow from late December to early February. Harvesting begins in May.
"Borratxona" cabbage
It's possible sow from July to September, to transplant from August to October. It is harvested after 80 or 90 days.
Black broad bean
It's possible sow from late April to early July. Sowing is done directly in the ground.
"Fesol fava" bean
It's possible sow between August and November. Sowing is direct to a depth of about 10 cm.
"Eriçó" melon
Yes sowing from mid-April to the end of May, and is harvested from July to early September.
Purple carrot
Yes sow between August and November by direct sowing. Harvesting takes place after three months.
Branch tomato
Yes sowing from mid-January to April. It can be transplanted from April to May, and harvested from July to October.
This knowledge is part of the work of recovery of local varieties, connecting countryside and cuisine, farmers and chefs, culture and flavor.
Want to plant any of these varieties? Visit our local variety seed store.
Video recipes: the cuisine of local varieties
In 2022, to celebrate 20 years of the Local Varieties Association, we create a video series alongside renowned chefs from Mallorca. Each one was given a local variety and created a unique recipe.
You can watch these videos on our channel YouTube.
- Tomato ramellet recipe pickled with white onion and lampuga fish. Recipe by Maria Solivellas – Ca na Toneta.
- Sautéed chickpeas recipe with roasted pepper, botifarró and picornells. Recipe by Marga Coll – Mycelium.
- Sweet cake recipe of cherries bordered by marge. Recipe by Xavier Font – L'Exquisit.
- Recipe for a cake made from cheixa with red onion and figs from the Lady. Recipe by Cati Pons – The Square Stoves.
- Toasted rye bread recipe with white eggplant and lampuga fish. Recipe by Santi Taura – INSIDE.
Frequently asked questions about seasonal recipes
What does it mean to cook with seasonal ingredients?
It means adapting our cooking to products that are at their optimum ripeness. This guarantees more flavor, more nutrients and a smaller ecological footprint.
Why cook with local varieties?
Local varieties are adapted to the island's climate and soil. They are more resistant, have a unique flavor and are part of our agricultural and gastronomic heritage.
Where can I buy the varieties mentioned in the recipes?
You can find them in our local variety seed store. Each recipe indicates which variety to use and when it can be sown.
What happens if I don't have all the ingredients?
No problem. You can adapt the recipes with whatever you have on hand. But if you want to discover new flavors and care for the territory, we recommend you try local varieties.
Can I make these recipes if I don't have a garden?
And that's it! You can buy seasonal ingredients at the market or from small local producers. And if you're interested in starting a vegetable garden, we have resources that will help you do it step by step.
Are there recipes for every season of the year?
Yes! You will find recipes for winter, spring, summer and autumn, designed to make the most of each moment.